


wasteland baby

by davi_lavonne



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: (Both mine and Wild’s), Anxiety, Explicit Language, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Memory Loss, Mild Language, Self Confidence Issues, absolutely - Freeform, am I planning to write my horse from botw into this fic, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:41:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22297996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/davi_lavonne/pseuds/davi_lavonne
Summary: His Hyrule had been almost completely destroyed but now it was alive and untamed. It was feral and it was wild, just like him.‘All the things I love about it they hate,’ thought Wild.-After a relaxing time at Wind’s Island, the group finds themselves sent to Wild’s Hyrule.While Wild is happy to be home, and excited to show it to his friends, the rest of the group is less than thrilled with their location.
Relationships: Hyrule & Wild (Linked Universe), Link & Prince Sidon, Link/Mipha (Legend of Zelda), Time & Wild (Linked Universe), Twilight & Wild (Linked Universe)
Comments: 134
Kudos: 715





	1. Chapter 1

-

After three days of traversing Wild’s Hyrule, tensions were steadily rising.

At first, it seemed like good fortune had finally struck the band of heroes. They had been in Wind’s world for a little over a week and had been shown every square inch of the island he called home. They stayed with his family and spent hours hanging out on the beach, swimming and fishing and playing with Aryll. They had light skirmishes with bokoblins here and there but no injuries beyond a few small cuts and bruises, and it seemed Hylia had granted them a reprieve.

The mini-vacation ended the moment a new portal swept them away to Wild’s Hyrule. They landed piled on top of each other in a very damp grassland, the skies dreary looking as it drizzled rain.

Three days later and it hadn’t stopped raining since they arrived. All the heroes were soaked through. The plan in the beginning had been to find shelter in a nearby forest and wait until the weather cleared before continuing on, until Wild sheepishly admitted they might be waiting weeks for the rain to fully cease. That comment prompted multiple looks of disbelief that he ignored. He eventually coaxed his dripping companions back on the trail, saying he had someplace he wanted to share with them. He promised that where they were going they would have comfortable beds and warm food and hopefully, they would meet a dear friend of his. 

It was enough to pique the heroes interest. Other than maybe Time, Wild was the one who kept most to himself. He was kind to them all, and loyal to a fault, but could be downright aloof if put in an uncomfortable situation. Twilight was oftentimes a special case, but even he didn’t know as much as he wished he did about his protege. Wild really didn’t share his past with the other Links and this was the perfect opportunity for them to learn more about their quiet friend.

That hope kept them going strong for another day before even that started to lose it’s appeal.

Wild’s Hyrule was easily the largest of them all, and there were only a handful of towns and stables in the expansive wilderness that they could rest at. And unfortunately, where they had landed wasn’t anywhere near a rest stop. Wild had made it clear if they tried to head towards any of them, it would just add more days to their trip. That quickly dissuaded everyone from the thought.

Everyone’s feet were aching, most of them not used to walking the seemingly endless miles it takes to get anywhere. It made for long days and even longer nights on the road. It also made for even worse tempers.

-

When Wild had first realized that he was back in his Hyrule, _his home_ , he had been almost giddy with it. He loved this world. He _died_ for this world and wouldn’t hesitate to do so again. He was excited to show his companions how big and beautiful it was. How utterly free it could be. 

Wild planned on bringing the others to visit the neighboring kingdoms. He wanted to show them the town he helped build with Hudson. He wanted to introduce them to his smart as a whip Zelda. He wanted to invite them over to his house, and have them coo over his handsome teal horse while he cooked a huge feast for everyone.

But first, he wanted to visit the Zora Kingdom. During his journey, it had always felt tranquil in a way the rest of the world didn’t. The people had welcomed him with open arms and easily given kinship, especially the royalty that lived there. 

He missed Sidon fiercely. The aquatic prince was his dearest friend, his best friend other than Twilight, and he longed to be back with the uplifting and kind man. He knew that everyone would take to him immediately.

Wild considered in the deepest recesses of his mind stopping at Mipha’s statue. For a moment he imagined opening up to the group, before mentally waving the thought away. 

‘I’m not ready to share that part of my life yet,’ Wild reasoned within himself, ‘but that doesn’t mean I can’t share the other parts with my friends.’

But the longer they walked together, and the more he listened to the complaints, the smaller his smile got. He felt his excitement dwindle in the face of their resentments. As they got louder, he became quieter. 

He could feel himself drawing inward again, in a way he hadn’t since he first joined the heroes. His insecurities and anxieties grew with every snide remark about his Hyrule.

A huff. “Oh my Goddess does it ever stop raining!?”

A whine. “We have been traveling for days and the only settlements we’ve seen have been bokoblin camps!”

A moan. “My feet are going to fall off; can we rest yet?”

An exclamation. “Everything is so empty! Do people even _live_ in this Hyrule?!”

They couldn’t have known that he was taking every criticism personally. _He knew that._ But he couldn’t help doing so.

Wild’s world was more than just a place to him. It’s rolling fields and it’s dense forests overflowing with wildlife and it’s tall mountains that hid treasures are what shaped him into the man he was now. The land he woke up to after a hundred years asleep, more than any person he ever met, was what sculpted him like clay, molded him beyond what he used to be. 

His Hyrule had been almost completely destroyed but now it was alive and untamed. It was feral and it was wild, just like him.

‘All the things I love about it they hate,’ thought Wild, walking a few paces ahead as he lead the group towards Ruto Mountain in the distance. ‘They are so frustrated with everything.’ He chewed his lip and furrowed his brow in thought.

“Hey Wild, _please_ tell me we are almost to wherever it is we are going?” 

Wild’s head whipped up from where he was staring at the ground and turned, to a frowning Legend.

“....we are less than a day away?” Wild said hesitantly.

More than one groan met his ears and he folded into himself. His hand went up to rubbing on the scars on his face, a nervous habit he’d never been able to fully break. 

“Seriously man?” Warriors said, irritated. “It’s been days of us aimlessly wandering through this Goddess-forsaken wasteland.”

“It isn’t aimless,” muttered Wild. “I know where we are and where we are going. It’s just taking longer, because we keep having to stop.”

‘And it isn’t a wasteland,’ he finished in his head, more than a little bitter.

“Well excuse us,” Legend said with a snarl. He swiped his dripping hat off his head and began to ring out water. “You’re having us walk for days sopping wet and you won’t tell us where we’re going and somehow we are the assholes for wanting to take breaks and for wanting to know what’s up!”

“Guys leave off,” Twilight said firmly, walking to stand beside Wild. He glanced at the younger man before bumping shoulders with him companionably. He shared a quick look with Time.

“I didn’t mean-“ Wild paused and let out a sigh. He aggressively ran his hand through his hair. “I just wanted it to be a surprise is all.”

“That’s completely understandable,” Time said softly. He looked away from Twilight’s worried eyes and faced Wild, ignoring the muttering of Legend and Warriors. “This is your Hyrule and it makes sense you want to lead us around it. However,” he paused as he glanced at the unhappy faces of the others, “perhaps at this point we should think about camping for the evening and finishing tomorrow.” 

Wild silently nodded, looking away and taking a step back. 

“Thank the Goddess,” spoke up an exhausted Wind, leaning heavily on Hyrule. He immediately dropped face first onto the grass spread eagle. Hyrule began nudging him with his foot.

“I don’t think this is the best spot to set up but there is a cavern in the base of Ruto Mountain, not far ahead,” Wild pointed out. “We can get a fire going out of the rain and warm up.”

“Do we have any rations to cook with?” Questioned Four, concerned.

Wild pulled out his Sheikah Slate and swiped through it quickly.

“We’re running low on supplies but I know where I can go gather some mushrooms and greens; good chance there might be some game there too.”

“I’ll come with you,” Twilight said firmly, making it sound more like a demand than an offer.

“You’re not too tired?”

Twilight threw an arm around Wild’s shoulder and gave him an encouraging grin.

“Nah, of course not Cub. Takes more than a little trail walk to put me to sleep.” He gave his protégé a wink. “Besides I wanna see some more of the sights before we hit the mountain.”

Wild blinked in surprise. 

“Plus,” interrupted Four with a smile, “none of us should be going off on our own. It really isn’t safe.”

“My thoughts exactly,” replied Twilight.

“Maybe you can show us the cave first,” Hyrule spoke up. He must’ve lost interest in poking Wind because he now tugging him up before hefting the sleepy boy up into a piggyback. 

“I second that,” Legend said, putting his still damp hat back on. It hung limply on his head.

-

It took the heroes half an hour of trudging through the rain and mud before they found the cavern. It was tucked away and successfully hidden from the trail. Without Wild, they never would’ve known it was there.

“How did you even discover this in the first place?” Warriors asked, sounding impressed. 

Wild shrugged self-consciously. “I um, don’t really remember. No one told me about it; I didn’t find it either.” He massaged the scar tissue on his cheek. “I just knew it was there.”

Everyone stared at him confused except Time and Twilight. He ignored Time’s compassionate face and Twilight’s concerned frown and ducking his head under the low opening, entered the cave.

It honestly wasn’t much to look at. It was very dark but completely dry and while it wasn’t huge by any means, all the Links would be able to fit their sleep rolls inside comfortably.

Four followed in behind him without having to duck at all. He whistled in appreciation, which then echoed around them. 

“Yeah, this’ll totally work.”

-

Wild waited rather impatiently while everyone was getting settled in the mountain. A thrown together fire was placed near the exit. They had all been smoked out of enclosed spaces enough times to know better than to put it anywhere else. The sizzling and popping of the sparks was comforting and the glow of the embers provided a dim light.

Most of the heroes stripped out of their gear and left it near the fire to dry out. They finished by piling up a nest of blankets near the flames to collect warmth for later.

Once everyone was more or less settled, Wild let out an awkward cough. 

“Alright I’m heading out.” 

Time glanced up and stood from where he had been kneeling. He walked over and placed a firm hand on Wild’s shoulder and gave him a look.

“No unnecessary risks.”

“We’ll be safe and sound.” Wild tried giving a reassuring smile. From the look on both Time and Twilight’s faces, it wasn’t very successful. 

Twilight let out a snort. “Don’t worry, I’ve got him.”

“You know, I don’t actually need a babysitter,” said Wild, arms crossed. His mentor promptly shoved him out the doorway.

“Cub, I swear to all the Goddesses, what you honestly need is a 24/7 bodyguard,” Twilight deadpanned, before taking the lead.

With an eye roll, Wild began to jog after him.

-


	2. Chapter 2

-

Wild fondly remembered the first time he travelled to the Zora Domain. 

He had left from Hateno Villiage after talking with the head scientist Dr. Purah, as well as her assistant. The meeting had been very helpful, and he had left the laboratory with a newly updated Sheikah Slate.

Hateno Village as a whole had been a good call. He had more supplies and new gear to use, as well as an agreement with a local contractor on a dilapidated building he wanted to eventually call home. 

So as he exited the village on Sea Foam, his trusty teal colored stallion, Wild had felt ready to take on his first Divine Beast.

The trip to the aquatic kingdom had started at a steady pace until the terrain became rougher and harder to navigate on horseback. There were also enemy camps popping up with enough frequency that he knew he was beginning to tempt fate with his horse’s life, something the young hero drew the line at. Making a decision, Wild decided to board Sea Foam at a stable to keep him well fed and safe. After treating his steed to some apology apples, Wild continued on foot.

While doing so slowed him down considerably, it allowed him the opportunity to do what he did best: _explore_. The younger man spent hours and hours traversing the new area and over time, he learned where to find the best ore, the best supplies, and the best food without ever looking at a map.

Thankfully, Wild’s foresight was paying off now.

-

Once they left the safety of the cave, Wild took the lead. He was moving quickly through the light drizzle, seemingly from memory, and Twilight was just along for the ride.

“Sooo, where are we headed?” Twilight asked as he jogged to keep up.

“I remember an area close by where I was able to collect some food,” Wild said. “Should have some edible plants and if we’re lucky, some animals to hunt.”

“Sounds good to me; should I go as Wolfie for this or nah?”

Wild gave him a side glance. “Honestly that’s up to you Twi.”

Twilight shrugged unconcerned. “I’ll wait then; I wanna be able to talk with you, and that’s kind of difficult with a muzzle.”

At that, Wild visibility faltered. He felt his anxiety start to rise but forced himself to keep moving. 

“....ok,” replied Wild hesitantly. 

“Don’t look so worried! You’re not in trouble or anything,” Twilight reassured. His mentor gave him a knowing look. “Just wanted to check in on you is all. It’s been a stressful few days.”

Wild let out a huff. “You aren’t wrong,” he said. “But you don’t need to worry about me; I’m fine.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shade of red. Turning, he saw mushrooms growing at the base of a tree and began collecting them.

“Your world is miserably wet Cub, but at least there is plenty of free food,” said Twilight, helping grab mushrooms. 

He completely missed Wild’s grimace.

‘So what if it rains a lot?’ Wild thought to himself. He rubbed at the scars on his face. ‘Why is that so bad?’

“Hey, is this poisonous?” 

Wild attention was brought back, and he saw Twilight holding up what looked like a dark brown ball. He quickly swiped it out of the older man’s hand.

“A hearty truffle! This is a really good find Twi!” He exclaimed, perking up. “Are there anymore?”

The duo of Links thoroughly searched for more truffles without any luck but did discover some herbs and peppers to add to the mushrooms. 

“I think that’s everything here; let’s go a little farther ahead. I know I’ve seen animals grazing near here.”

“You seem to know this area really well,” Twilight stated, following close behind Wild. “You must’ve spent a lot of time in these parts.”

“Yeah,” Wild said, distracted. He was only halfway listening to Twilight as he focused in on some animal tracks in the mud. Whatever made them was a large creature with hooves and the marks were fresh. “I had to come this way to free one of the Divine Beasts from Calamity Ganon’s control. Afterwards, I would often come back to visit my friend.”

“Your friend? Is that who we are going to see?” Asked Twilight, watching Wild. He had noticed his protégé’s attention wasn’t on him and pressed his advantage. It was an underhanded way to get information but one he wasn’t above using.

“Mmhmm, you’ll love Sidon; he’s great,” Wild hummed, slowing down to almost a crawl. He whispered, “I think we are really close. See these?” He gestured to the fresh tracks that continued into some heavy foliage. 

Twilight filed the name Sidon into his brain for later and nodded. He crouched down alongside the other hero and continued to follow him into the thick greenery.

The small woodland was completely overgrown. It made it difficult to move around, though it had the benefit of sheltering them from some of the rain. 

Wild felt a nudge and saw Twilight point towards an area where more mushrooms were growing. These ones were the green Stamella variety instead of the Hylian from before, and Wild quickly pocketed them.

A branch snapping made both of the heroes freeze. Signing a quick message to ‘ **stay there’** , Wild slowly made his way forward. He carefully shifted until he could see clearly and felt his blood run cold.

He’d made a serious mistake. The tracks they were following were not from a deer. 

They were from a fucking lynel.

-

Twilight watched the color drain from Wild’s face and felt himself tense. His protégé didn’t scare easy, so he knew that whatever was up ahead wasn’t good.

Wild quickly but silently backed up, never taking his eyes from the powerful monster in front of him. He signed, ‘ **We need to go NOW** ’. Not waiting for a response, he gripped Twilight by the wrist hard and began leading him back the way they came.

“What is it Cub?” Twilight hissed. “What did you see?”

“Something I want to avoid at all costs,” Wild whispered darkly. 

‘Why is there a lynel here?’ He thought furiously. ‘Is it misplaced from a portal or did it come from the mountain?’ Wild swallowed heavily. ‘Am I doing the right thing leaving it here?’

As soon as the thought came, Wild brushed it away almost instantly. While he normally wouldn’t hesitate to pick a fight, he didn’t want to endanger his friend by doing so. If he was totally honest with himself, this really wasn’t a fight he was prepared for.

‘And besides,’ he thought, ‘Time did tell us no unnecessary risks.’

Once they were a safe distance away, Wild let out a relieved sigh. “The tracks didn’t come from an animal; they came from an incredibly powerful creature called a lynel,” Wild explained. “Not something to be messed with.”

Twilight looked towards the overgrown foliage, then back to Wild. “I’m going to take your word for it.” 

The duo seemed to agree without words that they were done foraging for the day. As they walked back Twilight commented, “It’s a bummer we couldn’t get any protein; probably won’t help soothe our more grumpy compatriots back at the cave.”

Wild reluctantly nodded. “Sky will be cool with it; he’s almost a vegetarian as it is. And Hyrule will just be happy that we found anything to eat,” he sighed, “but you’re right. The others will be disappointed.”

‘One more thing for them to be unhappy about,’ thought Wild bitterly.

“Well screw ‘em!” Twilight loudly exclaimed, shocking Wild. “We did the best we could! And I have no doubts dinner tonight will still be ridiculously tasty. Goddess knows you could make a delicious meal out of tree bark and leaves!”

Wild felt himself turning red from the compliment. “I don’t know about all that Twi,” he said, feeling a strange mix of embarrassed and inordinately pleased.

Twilight threw his arm around the younger man’s shoulders. “Well _I_ know,” he said certainly.

Wild looked down, smiling to himself.

-

The walk back to the rest of the group didn’t take very long. The duo quickly ducked in the cave to get out of the rain and was instantly hit with a blanket of warmth from the fire.

“Hey you’re back!” An excited voice shouted. It was followed by other voices shushing it.

“Wind _please_.”

“Sorry Four,” Wind apologized, before turning to the returning heroes. “What did you get? Was it a pheasant? _Two_ pheasants? Or a pig?” He was bouncing in place. “Ooh ooh, or a moose?!”

“Moose don’t live in this area,” Wild said. He took in the state of his companions. Sky was fast asleep, and Hyrule and Legend looked like they weren’t far behind him. Everyone else was covered up and sitting on their bed rolls relaxing. They were all visibly tired, but looked at him hopefully. He turned back to Wind, an apologetic look on his face. “Sorry kid, it’s gonna be a meatless meal tonight.”

Everyone but the snoozing Sky, Time, and Hyrule deflated at that, and a few groans could be heard, but no one actually said anything terrible. Wild was thankful for small mercies.

“We did get some mushrooms, peppers, and other green things though,” butted in Twilight, stripping out of his wet clothes. He thankfully accepted a warm blanket from Time and sat on his own bed roll. “You’ll be happy to know that we avoided a pretty serious fight too.”

“Good job Pup,” compliment Time warmly, before turning to Wild, “and you too, Cub.”

“Don’t mention it,” said Wild uncomfortably. He began pulling out the food they collected, as well as an extra rock salt he already had on hand.

“You’re cooking _right now_?” Asked a worried sounding Hyrule. “Aren’t you going to rest any?”

“I’m good thanks,” Wild replied. He gave his fellow explorer a small smile. “This really won’t take long and then I’ll sit and relax, okay?”

“If you’re sure,” Hyrule said, sounding unconvinced.

“I am; no worries.” And with that, Wild focused on making a meal big enough to feed nine hungry heroes of Hyrule. 

-

In no time at all, everyone had a spicy mushroom skewer each. 

“Man, this sucks,” groused Legend.

“ _Don’t say that_ ,” snarled Twilight, as Wild visibly wilted under the harsh words. “I’m sure it’s yummy as all hell; Wild certainly didn’t have to make you anything, you ungrateful asswipe.”

Legend bristled at the disrespectful tone before breathing in deep. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he said stiffly. He turned to face Wild. “I know it’ll taste good. Your food always tastes good.”

“It’s okay,” said Wild with his head down. “I know that it would be better with some kind of meat.”

“Wild, it’s great the way it is,” Sky drowsily spoke up. He was still obviously groggy from being woken up but making a valiant attempt at eating his skewer.

It was uncomfortably quiet for a moment before Four spoke up.

“I sure hope it isn’t raining when we wake up,” said Four, trying to change the subject. 

Wild stiffened at the words.

“I hope so too,” Twilight said with a yawn. “At this point, I’m worried my clothes are going to start to mildew.”

“Goddess, I can’t _believe_ how gloomy this world is,” Wind spoke up. “I feel like I haven’t seen the sun since we were in _my_ Hyrule.”

“Dude _I wish_ we were back in your Hyrule,” Warriors moaned. “This place is a _nightmare_.”

Wild was beginning to feel a heady combination of hurt and anger. He could feel his face heating up in righteous indignation as he grit his teeth. He continued to keep his head down and set his dinner to the side, no longer hungry.

“I think it’s interesting here,” spoke up Hyrule, voice cutting through. Wild glanced up surprised to see Hyrule watching him.

“Well I can’t wait to get out of here,” said Legend, taking a large bite of his food.

Wind raised his skewer above his head and loudly said, “Here, here!”

“Wild, are you going to eat?” Asked Time, his eye watching him concernedly.

Suddenly all eyes were now on Wild.

“Are you not feeling well?” Sky asked worried. “Maybe you were out in the rain too long.”

“Lay down,” ordered Legend with his mouth full. 

“I’m alright,” said Wild quietly.

“Bullshit,” said Four, standing up. “You are pushing yourself too hard, and you don’t need to. Time for you to replenish your energy.” With that, he lugged one of the extra blankets over to Wild.

“You heard the man,” said Twilight firmly. He gave Wild a no nonsense look. “Bed.”

“Alright fine,” surrendered Wild. “I’m laying down now; someone can have the rest of my food.”

Multiple voices called dibs, followed by an argument starting.

“Please don’t kill one another over leftovers.”

“No promises Old Man.”

Turning his back on the others, Wild crawled into his bedroll. He _was_ tired he realized; the stress of the last few days must’ve wore him out. Closing his eyes, he suddenly felt tears began to well up behind his eyelids.

‘What is so wrong with my Hyrule?’ Wild thought, a little brokenly. ‘What if they hate the Zora’s too? What if they don’t like Sidon? I don’t want to put him through that; he’s my friend, and he doesn’t deserve it. Maybe trying to share this was a mistake.’

He could hear the other heroes getting ready for bed. He felt a hand lightly scratch at his scalp, forcing his body to relax.

He heard his mentor’s voice. “Get some sleep Cub; tomorrow will be a better day.”

Feeling even more drowsy, Wild shoved his face deeper into his blanket. He had one last thought before he drifted off.

‘But what if it isn’t?’

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I am the type of person who adds my horse oc to my fanfiction thank you for asking
> 
> Oh my god, I forgot Sky in the last chapter. But I remembered the good boy here so no worries
> 
> Thanks to everyone for your kudos and kind comments! It helps be feel more confident with my writing and I appreciate it :)


	3. Chapter 3

-

Wild wasn’t sure what caused him to wake up at first. Usually he could count on stress dreams to be what interrupted his rest, but for once his sleep was completely dreamless. He could tell without opening his eyes that it was still far too early for anyone to be awake, other than whoever was on watch, and even that person wasn’t making any noise. 

Suddenly he realized what had woken him up: the complete absence of sound. He had fallen asleep to low conversation, shuffling bodies, and the muted pitter-patter of rain. Now, the cave sounded almost unnaturally silent. 

A little unsettled, he shifted to his side and slowly looked over the cave, squinting a little in the darkness. He could see the shadowy lumps of several of his sleeping companions, and continuing to scan the area, he saw that the fire had started to go dim. 

Wild had just a moment to become concerned before a stick shot into his line of vision, startling him. He watched the stick poke at the smoldering pile, stirring the ashes back to life. With new light from the flames, he could now see that the person holding the stick was Hyrule, whose eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as he tended to the fire.

The brunette hero must have sensed the new attention on him, because Wild saw him stiffen up before whipping around to face him, brandishing the stick like a sword. 

Seeing it was only his friend, Hyrule relaxed and let out a breathy laugh.

**’Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you,’** signed Wild, wriggling out of his bedroll.

“It’s fine; no harm done,” Hyrule said good-naturedly, before whispering, ”What are you doing awake?”

**’It’s too quiet in here; it’s messing with my senses.’** Wild fully untangled himself from his sleeping arrangements and made his way over to sit near Hyrule. He continued signing, **’Besides I don’t need a lot of sleep.’**

“That’s understandable, it _is_ kind of eerily quiet now,” hummed Hyrule. He gestured to the opening of the cave. “The rain stopped a little while ago.”

Wild let out a small huff. **’That’s good. Should make for better traveling.’**

‘And hopefully better attitudes,’ he thought to himself.

Hyrule was quiet for a moment, seemingly contemplating something. Before Wild could say anything else to him, Hyrule slung his arm around the blonde, making the other jump slightly, but keeping the arm hanging over Wild’s shoulders.

“About that,” Hyrule said with a sigh, giving Wild a compassionate look, “These last few days, I’ve really wanted to apologize to you.”

Alarmed at the sudden tone shift, Wild mentally fought down his instincts telling him to bolt for the nearest exit. He had a bad feeling in his gut that he did not want this conversation.

**‘Um...I don’t......What are you talking about?’** Wild signed tentatively, both confused and apprehensive.

Hyrule gave a friendly nudge. “I’m sorry for how everyone has been behaving towards both you and your world.”

Wild felt his eyes widen and his body involuntarily stiffen in surprise, which caused Hyrule to tighten his grip on the other teen.

‘What in all the hells is happening?’ Wild thought as his hands began to slightly tremble. He immediately hid them inside his tunic before it became more visibly obvious.

‘No more signing for me, I guess,’ he thought to himself. He peered through the long blonde tresses that hid his face, to see he had Hyrule’s full attention. It instantly made him even more nervous.

“I-I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” said Wild, swallowing hard past the knot of anxiety in his throat.

“Bud, I think you do,” Hyrule rebuffed carefully, his tone of voice as warm as the arm on Wild’s shoulders. “I think that you are putting on a brave face to the unkind things being said about your home. And I think you thought no one noticed that it was hurting you.” 

“Stop!” Wild burst out before forcing himself to lower his voice. With a quick glance around the cave he made sure everyone was still sleeping soundly. “‘Rule, th-that’s not-“

“It’s not right, Wild,” interrupted Hyrule, the brunette’s voice steady. He gave his upset friend a sympathetic smile. “They took their frustrations with our current circumstances out on you. This area is so different from their homes, and they don’t realize the weight of their words.” He shook his head and finished, “But Wild, it’s no excuse.”

“I don’t want to talk about this,” Wild weakly muttered. He could feel tears beginning to fill his eyes and quickly scrubbed at them with the back of his hand. “Everything is fine. I am _fine_! And I know that my Hyrule is not as boisterous and fun and interesting as some of the other places we’ve been. I know that it’s different from the others.” 

‘That _I’m_ different from the others,’ he kept to himself, knowing better than to share that thought out loud. 

It was a thought that never completely left the back of his mind. He was just so unlike the rest of the group. He was the mistake, the one who failed his kingdom and allowed it’s destruction. Having damn near no memories of before the Calamity was just icing on the monster cake. Oftentimes, he felt like an imposter, a fake amongst actual heroes.

Wild watched Hyrule open his mouth to reply but the other hero was suddenly interrupted by an enormous crash. It shattered the silence completely, starting outside before echoing throughout the entire cavern. 

Wild found himself instinctively gripping Hyrule’s shirt hard and diving for cover behind a large rock within the cave. He could hear the brunette choke from the unexpected maneuver but mostly ignored his sputtering as he took in the others jolting awake.

“What in the name of the Goddess was that?!” Exclaimed Legend, accidentally tangling himself in his bedroll. He haphazardly crab-walked to where the group left their supplies to dry by the fire and began tossing weapons recklessly towards the other Links.

“What’s happening?” Time called out as he sat up. He caught the sword thrown in his direction without looking at it. “Does anyone know what that noise was?”

More loud thuds sounded, shifting the earth and stone surrounding them. It suddenly dawned on everyone that being in a cave that might collapse was not a good idea.

“It doesn’t matter what it was,” Sky nervously replied, looking up. He was holding onto the hilt of the Master Sword so tight his knuckles were white. “It isn’t safe in here any longer.”

“Well it obviously isn’t safe out there either,” said Four decisively. “We need a plan.”

Another crash cut through the night, closer to the opening of the cavern than the last one had been. A monstrous bellow followed shortly after, a terrible sound that bounced around the room and caused several rocks to fall from the ceiling, landing around the group.

“Does anyone recognize that?” Warriors asked shakily. Turning, his eyes met Wild’s and whatever he saw there made him pause. “Wild?”

At the question, everyone’s heads turned.

“Cub?” Twilight asked carefully, watching his protégé.

Wild was completely frozen. He could feel his heartbeat pounding against his ribs. 

He knew that sound. 

Another bellow ricocheted, knocking more debris loose. It also did the job of jolting Wild back into his body. Looking at each of his worried friends, his brothers-in-arms, his _family_ , he felt a surge of protection.

“I know what it is,” Wild said as he quickly collected his Sheikah slate and grabbed his current bow. “And as much as you’re not going to like it, you are all going to have to trust me.”

“What kind of creature is it?” Asked Time steadily., his eye never leaving the younger man.

“The sound is most likely from a lynel, an incredibly strong and smart beast, and we have no room to fight or even maneuver this close to the mountain, especially with a group as big as ours,” explained Wild, speaking fast as he collected more and more items.

“Ok so, what’s the game plan?” Warriors asked, taking his cue from the frantic blonde and grabbing everything he could, the others joining in.

The sounds outside continued to grow and in turn, so did the tumbling rocks. One the size of a melon just barely missed Wind’s head, and another smaller one clipped Hyrule’s arm, causing him to cry out in pain.

“We need to get the lynel away from the mountain so that we can head the other direction. We are only hours away from the end destination and the trail we’re on leads there. You won’t even need me to guide you there.”

At that, several people whipped their heads around to face Wild. He swallowed hard as he started creeping closer the exit.

“What exactly is this plan of yours?” Four reluctantly asked, sounding as if he already knew the answer. 

“I’m going to run outside and veer away from the mountain. Don’t come out until I’ve drawn the enemy far enough away; then hurry down the path in the same direction we’ve been going.” 

He gave the incredulous heroes a grim smile. “Don’t argue with me; we don’t have time for it. I know this area like the back of my hand, and I’ll be fine.” He spun around, facing away from his companions.

“Don’t you _fucking_ dare,” snarled Twilight, lunging towards Wild as the younger man dove for the opening. “Cub, No!”

His arms never made it to Wild.

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS I’M SO SORRY!! I know everyone was excited for Sidon, but he’ll be here before you know it. Also, I meant to upload before now, and I’ll try to be quicker for the next chapter!!
> 
> I want to sincerely thank everyone for the kudos and comments and bookmarks!! It really lights a fire under me to keep going with the story <3


	4. Chapter 4

-

Wild would never forget the first lynel he met on his hero’s journey. 

He had desperately needed shock arrows and after learning where he could find some, had made his way to the top of the mountain next to the Zora Kingdom. He had been given several warnings by the well meaning citizens before he departed the city, but hadn’t put much stock in them. It had still been early in his journey, and he hadn’t had a real challenge yet, which ultimately left him reckless and naive to danger.

It was damn near his downfall.

Once he reached the top, Wild saw the lynel roaming the area, surrounded by the shock arrows he needed. He was able to pocket a handful of the arrows before the beast was upon him. He knew almost immediately he was in trouble.

The monster was faster and stronger than anything Wild had come up against. His attacks did almost no damage to the lynel’s thick hide, and his shields couldn’t hold up to the power of the blows being sent his way. Worse of all, the creature was _smart_. His bag of tricks did nothing but ultimately piss the thing off and in the end, Wild found himself jumping off of the mountain bloody and beaten as he scrambled for his paraglider with a fractured arm.

The encounter left an impact on Wild. Lynel’s were quickly added to a mental list he kept of things to _not_ fuck with, alongside guardians and lightning. He had a mission to save Hyrule from the calamity, and he wasn’t going to fail again by picking unnecessarily risky fights.

So for the most part, Wild left lynel’s alone. If they stayed within their territories, away from villages and travelers, then he was content to move along. In the instances where they were an active danger to civilians, Wild handled it, but not without preparation before the battle. He always went in with his best weapons and best healing items and even then, it never felt like a sure thing.

As Wild dove out of the mouth of the cave, he knew he was woefully unprepared for what was outside. But he also knew that his friends were even more so. He also knew that they were going to probably ignore his advice and try to follow him into the fight. 

He couldn’t let that happen.

As soon as he made it outside, he had his Sheikah slate in hand and pointing it towards the mountain, he used Cryonis on the water pooled around from all the rain. It instantly froze a block of ice that covered the opening completely, and he could hear muffled shouts of surprise and anger coming from his friends. 

Suddenly, he saw something quick coming at him from the side and tried to dodge away, landing hard on the ground. Looking up, he could now see a huge arm as wide as his torso, barely missing him and slamming into the mountain, causing sections of boulders to fall around them.

‘Well I got it’s attention,’ thought Wild, wide eyed.

Knowing that the other heroes weren’t stupid and had probably already begun melting down his barricade, Wild quickly scrambled to his feet and sprinted away from the mountain, trusting that the monster would follow. 

A quick glance behind him told him that his plan was working a little _too_ well. The lynel was hot on his heels and was quickly gaining on him.

Making a split decision, Wild forced all his concentration towards his late Rito friend Revali. He felt himself build up with a power that wasn’t his own before shooting straight up into the sky. While in the air, he quickly notched his bow with three arrows, feeling as though time was slowing down as he released them. 

The arrows sunk into the lynel’s flesh, causing it to bellow in pain.

Putting away his bow, Wild quickly grabbed his paraglider to slow his descent and continued to head away from the mountain. He could see the forested area the lynel had been in ahead.

‘If I can lead the lynel back there, it will give me more cover to sneak away from it,’ Wild thought.

Suddenly the blonde lost his train of thought when something slammed into his left shoulder, causing a terrible pain to travel throughout his entire body. He lost his grip on the paraglider and landed hard on the ground with a pained grunt.

Reaching back with his right hand, he could feel the shaft of an arrow sticking out of his body. 

‘Goddess, I didn’t even see that it had a bow,’ thought Wild. With no time to waste, he gripped the arrow tightly and roughly yanked it out.

“Fuck!” Wild hissed out through gritted teeth. Pulling himself back up, he felt one of his legs buckle before forcing it to bear his weight. He began limping as fast as he could.

“Not good,” he said to himself, panting as he moved. With bloody fingers, he reached for the sword he had on his back.

Another angry roar, sounding startlingly close, forced the champion to pivot, bring up his sword just in time to block a heavy blow. The impact sent him down on one knee before he shoved the attack away. He quickly swung his sword, catching the beast in the chest and leaving a shallow gash. 

Without a flinch, the lynel immediately retaliated, swinging it’s fist into Wild’s side and taking him off his feet. He felt something inside give and could now taste blood in the back of his throat.

‘There goes a rib,’ thought Wild as he landed flat on his back. His sword flew out of his hand and out of reach. ‘Shit, that’s not great.’

His uninjured arm frantically fumbled around for something he could use as the lynel slowly approached, seemingly unconcerned by the wounded Hylian. Wild felt his hand brush against his Sheikah slate and without looking away from the monster, began swiping through the menus by memory.

He woke up from a hundred year sleep with this device. He knew how it worked and he knew what it held. And above all, he knew he had one important item hidden inside.

As he felt his last resort item materialize into his hand, the lynel reached where he lay and picked him up by his already beaten torso. Wild couldn’t stop a pained shout from leaving his lips as he looked into the face of the powerful creature.

“Sorry,” rasped Wild, causing the lynel to pause in what looked to be confusion. “But I’m not dying today.”

And the champion stuck forward, piercing the lynel’s hide with his last ancient arrow.

The lynel didn’t even have time to make a sound as it disintegrated into blue light. No longer being held up by anything, Wild fell back onto the ground. He landed on his back, breathing hard as he tried to catch his breath.

‘Yep, definitely one broken rib, if not several,’ he thought blearily. He could feel his energy draining away. ‘The guys aren’t going to be happy about this.’

Suddenly Wild heard a twig snap next to him, breaking the silence. He felt his body tense up in alarm.

“Who’s there?” He called, trying and failing to get up. The blonde hero couldn’t even _move_.

“That was a lie.” An unknown voice answered.

“What?” Asked Wild in a whisper. His energy was gone, and he was trying desperately to not pass out. “Sh-show yourself.”

“That was a lie, little hero.” Repeated the same mocking voice.

“What are you t-talking about?” Slurred out Wild, darkness filling his vision. A shadow fell over his prone body as he lost the battle with consciousness.

“You told the great beast you weren’t dying today, little hero. You lied.”

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, writing fights is tough y’all. 
> 
> The next chapter is probably going to focus on the rest of the group, as well as a long awaited fish prince!!
> 
> Also, this fic now has fan art by the immensely talented fuwafuwallen on twitter!! Go check it out here and send the artist some love: https://twitter.com/fuwafuwallen/status/1279616459912540161?s=21

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t written a fic in years, but I have been so taken with Jojo’s Linked Universe that it made me want write again. Full transparency: I’ve only played BOTW so characters might be off. Also, I wrote this on my phone, so hopefully I didn’t miss anything before uploading. 
> 
> Please let me know if this is something you want me to continue! My tumblr is teamwaffle-o; feel free to talk to me!


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